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Game Previews

10/13/2017

The Oregon Ducks were once the gold standard in the Pac-12 -- the West Coast's best hope for a national championship and the only program west of the SEC, aside from USC, that could realistically promote a player for the Heisman Trophy. But after master builder Chip Kelly left for the NFL in 2012, the program maintained its dominance for only two years under Mark Helfrich before dipping a bit in 2015 (9-4) and plummeting to 4-8 in 2016, Oregon's lowest win total since 1991.

With the expectations being as high as the Nike dollar is strong, the reaction in Eugene was swift. Helfrich was dismissed, and he was replaced with Willie Taggart, the one-time running backs coach on Jim Harbaugh's Stanford staff who went on to moderate success as the head coach at Western Kentucky before turning around the South Florida program, going from 2-10 in 2013 to 10-2 in 2016.

The Taggart Era got off to a controversial start at Oregon when three football players were hospitalized after what were described as overly strenuous off-season workouts that seemed straight from the 1940s. One of Taggart's stated goals upon his arrival was to instill a tougher attitude, and apparently he and his strength and conditioning coach went about this by having players do non-stop push-ups and up-downs for more than an hour.

09/29/2017

It's been three years since Stanford and Arizona State last met on the field, and although that 26-10 ASU win was rather forgettable for the Cardinal and a statement game for the Sun Devils, the two teams went in opposite directions in the seasons that followed. Stanford concluded the 2014 season with a win in the Foster Farms Bowl, then won the Rose Bowl the following year and the Sun Bowl in 2016.

The Sun Devils, meanwhile, have faltered. They finished strong in 2014, capping a 10-3 season with a win in the Sun Bowl, but they went 6-7 in 2015 and 5-7 last year, putting coach Todd Graham squarely on the hot seat. Last week's surprising win over the Oregon Ducks may have temporarily saved Graham's job, but the vultures are definitely circling.

Heading into this game, the focus for Stanford football, of course, is the quarterback position. David Shaw wouldn't comment this week on the injury Keller Chryst suffered against UCLA, but all outward signs seemed to indicate a concussion, which would place him the concussion protocol, leaving Ryan Burns and K.J. Costello as the only viable options this week. Based on his performance thus far, Costello would obviously be the preferred option, and while many fans were bothered that Shaw didn't declare him the starter immediately, his choice not to isn't surprising at all. Shaw has never been quick to change quarterbacks midseason, but now he doesn't have to do anything official. Costello can start in place of the injured Chryst without any announcement from Shaw. Should the sophomore continue to have success, Shaw's eventual decision will be that much easier.

So what are we to expect this week? The Arizona State defense has played well against the run, holding Oregon's Royce Freeman under a hundred yards last week in the Sun Devils' surprising win over the Ducks, but I think this weekend will be a different story. Last week we got a look at what a properly appointed Stanford offense can do, and I expect we'll see more of the same on Saturday -- a steady run game punctuated by an occasional lightning strike from Bryce Love or a downfield attack by Costello, and lots of time of possession. That last part will be important, because Arizona State's hope for victory lies in its passing game, led by quarterback Manny Wilkins and his two game-breaking wide receivers, N'Keal Harry and Jalen Harvey. It will be critical for the Cardinal to keep that trio on the sidelines as much as possible, especially considering the first-half suspension of Stanford cornerback Alijah Holder.

09/22/2017

Do you remember Kevin? He was introduced in this space last year during the week leading up to the UCLA game. Kevin was born on October 18th of 2008 on the afternoon of UCLA's last win over Stanford. He'll turn nine in a few weeks, and while he's seen three presidential elections, two different Summer Olympics, and a total eclipse of the sun, he still hasn't seen his Bruins beat the Cardinal. He still leaves the stadium crying each year, dragging his blue and gold pom-poms behind him, ignoring his parents' efforts at cheering him up disguised in offers of popcorn and cotton candy.

Last year's game was certainly the worst of Kevin's life. After watching his Bruins control the Cardinal throughout the game, Kevin surely thought the moment had finally come. A late 13-9 lead seemed safe with the Stanford offense struggling, but then it wasn't. Then Ryan Burns was lofting a pass towards the corner of the end zone and into the hands of J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, then Joey Alfieri was sacking Josh Rosen, then Solomon Thomas was scooping up the fumble and rumbling into the end zone as the clock fell to zeros, and then Kevin was crying. Again.

09/08/2017

I'm just going to go ahead and say it, although I know it will cause some to turn away from this site forever. There is no more important opponent on the Stanford schedule than the USC Trojans. Big Game and the rivalry with Cal will always be special in its own way, but it's been roughly a decade since that game has really been big. It will be nice take out the Axe in November and put it back in the trophy case after the Golden Bears are dispatched, but let's be honest: This week is Rivalry Week. Do you doubt me? Let's take a look at what the USC game has given us over the past decade.

08/25/2017

In 24 hours the speculation will finally end and we'll have something tangible to discuss regarding Stanford Football. For now, however, we're left to look at all the tea leaves we can in our attempts to discern what we might see on the field. The first depth chart of the season has been released, and there are a few interesting tidbits sprinkled here and there. If you click the photo of the depth chart to the left, it should enlarge in another window so you can follow along. We'll start with offense and move from top to bottom.

Jay Tyler will get the first start of his Stanford career. In the preview of the wide receivers that I published recently, I mentioned that I was looking forward to what I expected to be an expanded role for Tyler this season, but I certainly never thought he'd be starting alongside Trent Irwin. The reason for this move up the depth chart is that J.J. Arcega-Whiteside apparently won't be playing. There's been no word on any specific injury, but he has been held out of recent practices. This isn't a concern for this game with this opponent, but it's definitely something to watch over the next two weeks. He'll be needed.

The top two lines of the tight end depth chart look exactly as expected with senior Dalton Schultz followed by sophomore Kaden Smith. The fourth line, however, is intriguing. Consider the long line of great tight ends we've seen over the past eight years. Not one played as a true freshman, yet there sits Colby Parkinson. Redshirts are sometimes burned midway through a season, as with Harrison Phillips three years ago, but Parkinson's presence here indicates that a decision has already been made. Parkinson will not be redshirting, which speaks to his prodigious talent.

The starting five along the offensive line is always a question leading up to the season opener, and we finally have a partial answer. We learned a few days ago that A.T. Hall, who was expected to start at right tackle, did not make the trip to Sidney due to an undisclosed injury. That opened up a spot for the monstrous Devery Hamilton. Will Hamilton end up being Gehrig to A.T. Hall's Wally Pipp? Don't be surprised if Hamilton claims that spot and refuses to relinquish it. The rest of the starters aren't much of a surprise, but it's nice to see freshmen phenoms Foster Sarell and Walker Little with backup spots, a clear indicator that they'll make their collegiate debuts on Saturday night. Can't wait.

Another interesting development with the wide receivers. Two weeks ago I speculated that Connor Wedington would find his role as a running back, but here he is at wideout, the fourth true freshman listed on the depth chart. If any freshman wide receiver was going to see the field this fall, I think most everyone would have expected his name would be Osiris St. Brown, but that name (due to a nagging hip injury) is conspicuously absent. I still think we'll eventually see him this fall, just not this week. It'll be odd to see the number five out there on offense so soon, but Wedington could prove to be deserving of such a hallowed number.

As was announced two weeks ago, Keller Chryst is the starting quarterback, but note that there doesn't appear to be a distinction between backups Ryan Burns and K.J. Costello. This is another competition to watch, especially since Costello will likely be Chryst's successor down the road.

The expectation at inside linebacker was that Bobby Okereke and Joey Alfieri would be the starters, but lingering injuries have bumped Alfieri to a backup role this week, giving Sean Barton the start. All of these linebackers will play all season long, the only question yet to be answered is how much time each player will get.

Peter Kalambayi was always g0ing to start at one outside position, but it was assumed that Mike Tyler would earn the other. This appears to be another injury situation, as Tyler's name isn't even on the depth chart. He'll definitely be needed against USC and the rest of the Pac-12, so hopefully the injury isn't serious.

I can't tell you much I've enjoyed watching the defensive backs over the last two seasons, but what leaps out to me here is how much experience there is now. As great as this unit has been recently, much of their success has been a result of their raw talent; with the added benefit of experience and more time working with Coach Duane Akina, there's no telling how good this group can be. I can't wait to find out.

12/30/2016

No, it isn't the Rose Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl or the Orange Bowl, but the novelty of a bowl game will never wear off for me. There's the new venue -- El Paso, Texas -- but more interestingly there's a new opponent. (And after four straight Big Ten bowl game opponents, we finally get a new conference.)

Sometimes a team's schedule of results tells you all you need to know about its season, but in the case of Stanford's Sun Bowl opponents, the North Carolina Tarheels, it only raises questions. After an understandable opening week loss to Georgia, they righted the ship with four straight wins, capping the streak with a 37-35 road win over #12 Florida State. But how did they follow that up with a blowout home loss to Virginia Tech? They rebounded from that disappointment with a road win over #16 Miami and then two more victories over Virginia and Georgia Tech to bring their record to 7-2 and climb to #17 in the CFP rankings -- but how did they lose to the worst team in the ACC (Duke) the following Saturday? Two weeks after that humbling loss, they finished their regular season with another surprising loss, this time to rival NC State. I'm thinking the Sun Bowl will bring them another loss. I've got it at Stanford 27, North Carolina 17.

So yes, it's been a confusing season for the Tarheels. I don't have the answers to any of these questions, so I reached out to someone who might -- Zack Pearson from KeepingItHeel.com. (You can check out my answers to his Cardinal questions over at his site.) Anyway, here's Zack...

11/18/2016

When I think about Big Game, countless memories rush back from over the course of my thirty seasons watching Stanford football. There are the obvious ones, ranging from the John Hopkins field goal to clinch the miracle comeback in 1990 to Ty Montgomery's five-touchdown first half in 2013, but the game I've been thinking about the most is probably a loss.

In 2009, the first year that Stanford was consistently competitive under third-year coach Jim Harbaugh, the Cardinal entered Big Game with a 7-3 record and thoughts of reclaiming the Axe. Andrew Luck was in his first season, and although he certainly showed flashes of brilliance and gave hints of what was to come, that year's team revolved around Toby Gerhart and his Hesiman-runner-up season. Gerhart had a typical game against Cal, rushing for 136 yards and four touchdowns, but Luck had probably the worst game of his Stanford career, finishing 10 of 30 for just 157 yards and an interception that ended any hopes of a Cardinal win. Trailing by six in the final minutes of the game, Luck engineered a drive that looked like it would end with Stanford players hoisting the Axe in triumph. He scrambled to pick up one key first down, then from midfield he checked down to his third or fourth receiver and found Gerhart in the flat for what should've been a five-yard gain. Instead, Gerhart ran through four different Cal defenders and rumbled -- I think Gerhart probably even rumbled from class to class that year -- for a 29-yard gain to the Cal 13.

Listening to the radio feed at the time, I was certain of three things -- Gerhart would eventually get the ball and carry it the rest of the way for the touchdown, Stanford would win the Axe, and Heisman voters around the country would have no choice but to cast their votes for the man who had scored five touchdowns in his rivalry game. (I was young and naïve back then.) But he wouldn't touch the ball again. Two plays after Gerhart's long catch and run, Luck dropped back and threw one of the worst interceptions I can remember him throwing, and the game was over. No touchdown, no Axe, no Heisman.

11/04/2016

If you're wondering what happened to Oregon State football, you can blame Stanford, at least circumstantially. The Beavers were 9-4 in 2012 and opened the 2013 season 6-1 with eye-popping wins of 44-17, 52-24, and 49-17, but they rode that high down the coast to Palo Alto and lost to the sixth-ranked Cardinal, 20-12. They had won 15 of 20 games prior to that loss, but that would be the first of five straight defeats to close out the regular season. Since that day the Beavers have been the worst team in the Pac-12 with an overall record of 10-28. (Colorado is 14-26; Cal is 17-22.) Yes, blame Stanford.

But even though Oregon State is 2-6 this season and tied with Oregon in the cellar of the Pac-12 North, there are signs of hope. There was a 47-44 overtime win over Cal that featuring 221 yards and three touchdowns from running back Ryan Nall, and last week's narrow loss to Washington State in which the Cougars had to crawl out of a 24-6 deficit to salvage the win.

10/21/2016

The Colorado Buffaloes arrived in the newly expanded Pac-12 five years ago, and they dutifully took their place at the bottom of the conference, suffering forty-point losses to Stanford and Oregon and winning just two league games on their way to a 3-10 overall record. Things only got worse the following year, with four forty-point losses (including a 70-14 shellacking at the hands of the Ducks) and a 1-11 mark. They managed just one conference win in 2013, and while they finished 0-9 in league in 2014, there were fewer blowouts and there was a feeling that the Buffs were getting closer. The strides expected in 2015, however, didn’t happen, as the Buffaloes again only earned a single league win and finished a disappointing 4-9. During its five years of conference membership, Colorado has posted a 14-47 overall mark with an anemic 5-40 record inside the Pac-12. To say that they’ve been doormats would be putting it nicely.

All of which makes what’s happened thus far this season all the more surprising. The Buffs opened with two convincing wins over Colorado State and Idaho State, outscoring those two opponents by a combined 100-14. Those win were easily dismissed as coming against inferior competitions, but over the next two weeks it became clear that there was something different going on with the 2016 Colorado Buffaloes. First they travelled to Ann Arbor and stood toe to toe with the Michigan Wolverines, holding a 21-7 lead after the first quarter, and a 28-24 lead early in the third quarter. That game would get away late and end 45-28 in favor of the Wolverines, but a week later Colorado travelled to Eugene to face the Oregon Ducks, the team that had beaten them byeight touchdowns not long ago, and came home with a 41-38 win.

Since that game the Buffaloes have added wins over Oregon State and Arizona State to bring their record to 5-2 and 3-1 and claim the top spot in the Pac-12 South, making this already their best season since joining the conference.

How has this dramatic transformation happened? For one thing, the Buffs have found balance on offense. Senior quarterback Sefo Liufau began showing flashes of potential early in his career, and this year he seems to have put everything together. Last week against Arizona State he threw for 265 yards while rushing for 38. As impressive as that is, perhaps the best thing he did was hand the ball to Phillip Lindsay 26 times and watch him rumble for 219 yards and three touchdowns. These L&L Boys will look to barbecue the Stanford defense on Saturday afternoon. If they get rolling, the Buffalo offense will be difficult to stop.

The good news, of course, is that Stanford’s defensive line has been playing at a high level all season long and seems to be getting better each week. Solomon Thomas had what might have been the best game of his career last weekend against Notre Dame, and I expect him to continue his stellar season with another big performance against the Buffs. With his presence in the backfield and the lockdown coverage of Quenton Meeks downfield, I think the Stanford defense will lead the way to a 24-16 Stanford win.

But you didn’t come here to read my thoughts, you want an expert’s opinion of the Colorado Buffaloes. For that I give you Brian Howell, columnist at the BuffZone.com. Now I’ll get out of the way.

Go Mighty Card:I still catch myself referring to the conference as the Pac-10 from time to time. How to Colorado fans feel about the conference? Does it feel like home yet?

Brian Howell:

I think it felt like home right from the start. The Pac-12 is a much better fit for Colorado than the Big 12, in a lot of ways. More than anything, it’s a great fit for the alumni. CU has a large alumni base in the Pac-12 footprint, and not so much in the Big 12. And, fans love traveling to Pac-12 locations for games. All-in-all, I’ve heard no complaints about the change.

GMC:Last year it felt like the Buffaloes were a good team on the rise, but they just weren't yet ready to close out games. Do you feel like that's accurate? How have things changed this season?

Howell:

Yes, it was accurate, to a point. They were nowhere near this explosive on offense, though, and injuries buried this team in 2015. This year, they’ve been healthy and they’re a more experienced, veteran group. Combine that with the changes they made to the offense to make it more explosive and it’s been a recipe for success.

GMC:

Stanford fans have enjoyed watching Solomon Thomas wreaking havoc with opposing offenses this year, but the Buffs have their own defensive star, Jimmie Gilbert. How do those two players compare? What are Gilbert's strengths?

Howell:

Thomas is much bigger and plays more on the interior, whereas Gilbert is a long, lean outside linebacker. He’s a talented pass rusher and does a nice job setting the edge. Gilbert also has the luxury of having one of the Pac-12’s best secondaries behind him. The real star of the Colorado defense is cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who is exceptional in coverage and against the run.

GMC:

Quarterback Sefo Liufau has missed some time, but it looks like he's on schedule to start for the Buffs on Saturday. How has he progressed as a quarterback? What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Howell:

Liufau is having his best season, by far. He’s a four-year starter and playing like it. His leadership and experience have been invaluable for this team. He’s been very accurate and has avoided mistakes (no interceptions this year), which plagued him in the past. It’s helped him a lot, though, that his teammates have improved. Liufau has more talent around him than ever before. His weakness is that he can sometimes make a bad, costly decision, but he hasn’t done much of that this year.

GMC:

After his breakout game against ASU last week, has Phillip Lindsay become the lead back? What are his strengths? Who else should the Stanford defense be concerned about?

Howell:

Lindsay has pretty much been the lead back all season. He’s not a big guy (5-8, 190), but he plays big. He’s a strong runner and has good speed, but doesn’t often break long runs. He’s also got great hands as a receiver (I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him drop a pass) and is a good blocker in pass protection. In terms of running backs, you might see Kyle Evans, who is another small (5-6, 175), but powerful runner. Donovan Lee could be a factor, too, but he hasn’t done much since Week 2. If Lindsay and Evans stay healthy, they’ll team with Liufau to handle the run game.

GMC:

What's your prediction for the game? If you can, give me a final score and an explanation for how we get there.

Howell:

For the first time, CU actually matches up with Stanford. Frankly, the Buffs are having a better season and might be a better team right now. Something tells me Stanford will play well in this one, though. The Cardinal have five very winnable conference games on the horizon and they know they could get on a nice run, and it starts on Saturday. I’m expecting a tough, physical, close game, but give the edge to Stanford, 27-23.

10/14/2016

Any way you look at it, Stanford and Notre Dame have been two of the marquee programs in the nation over the past several years, and their annual matchup has not only been much anticipated, it also sent ripples throughout college football.

Even though Stanford has won four of the past six games in the series, those half dozen contests have been as dramatic as any the Cardinal has played. Aside from a 23-point Stanford win over an unranked Irish squad in South Bend in 2010, the past five games have been tight battles between ranked teams with the hosts winning each time.

These games have been high drama. There was the 2011 game at Stanford, when Manti Te'o met Lennay Kekua, the controversial overtime win for the Irish in South Bend in 2012, another late win for Notre Dame in 2014, and last year's last-second Stanford win on the strength of Conrad Ukropina's game-winning field goal. Not only were these games dramatic, they impacted the national championship picture as well. After surviving that scare in 2012, the undefeated Irish won seven more games and earned a trip to the BCS Championship game, but last season their loss to the Cardinal ended their title hopes.

The stakes aren't quite as high this time around. For the first time since 2009, both teams enter the game unranked. The Cardinal's struggles are all too familiar to Stanford fans. After allowing 44 and 42 points to the two Washington schools, Stanford has fallen to 3-2 and gone from Pac-12 favorites to the bottom half of the conference.

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